Lucie Rudert

“I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul. And I am the keeper of my body.” These words, an adaptation from a poem by William Ernest Henley, were often recited by Lucie Rudert as her life’s philosophy.
Until the final weeks before the end of her remarkable life on December 28, 2014, she managed to live in accordance with them.

Self-described as “German by birth, American by choice,” Lucie was born April 21, 1925, in Koenigsberg, East Prussia. Her parents, Franz Gottfried Meyer and Karoline Wilhelmine Mattlatis, were baptized soon after Lucie’s birth by Mormon missionaries. Lucie’s baptism followed in September 1933, and although she ultimately rejected the tenets of the LDS faith, membership in the church was pivotal in her life. It was the attraction of “Zion” and the sponsorship of fellow church members that drew her to America and to Salt Lake City.

Lucie grew up on the Baltic Sea. In 1995, after searching for a place in which to spend her final years, Lucie settled in the Bear Lake valley, which brought to mind her childhood home. As an adolescent Lucie enjoyed teaching youngsters in church. She attended two years of business college and wanted to become a teacher, but her father, who was a railroad engineer, convinced Lucie to take a job at the railroad directorate. During the Russian offense of 1945, it was that connection that enabled Lucie to lead family members and close friends to safety.

Along with other refugees, Lucie settled in Schwerin (East Germany). It was here that she met and married Manfred Rudert on April 21, 1950. By 1953 it became clear that the future in post-war Germany was bleak. Lucie urged her husband to go to America to seek opportunity. With a three-year-old toddler and eight-month-old infant, they journeyed to Salt Lake City. They purchased property, including a couple of rental units, in the Avenues. Two more children increased the size of the family, but Manfred’s health declined. Upon his death in 1964, Lucie was left with four young children to raise and four houses to maintain. She was very proud to see all of her children educated, settled in solid marriages and successfully employed.

Lucie’s dream of teaching came to fruition in 1984 when she opened a licensed day care and pre-school in her home. The Christmas programs presented by the children—complete with costumes, props and scenery—are fondly remembered today.

Lucie was preceded in death by sister Edith Meyer Lemke, husband Manfred Alexander Rudert, and friends from the Ostpreussen group she led for many years. She is survived by children Michael (Ramona), Wilf (Sandy), Astrid Brown (Kevin), and Daniel (Teresa) as well as grandchildren Jason, Christopher, Ashlee, Hampton, Benjamin, Rex, Rylee and Zane, and great-grandson Axel.

Many thanks to Lucie’s friends and neighbors in Bear Lake for making it possible for her to live independently. A special thanks to Laurie Harrison, Kathy Johnson and Claudine Rasmussen for their tender care during her final months.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 3 at 11:00 a.m. at Russon Brothers Mortuary, 255 South 200 East in Salt Lake City, Utah. A viewing will be held from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. prior to the service. Interment at Salt Lake City Cemetery. Online guest book at www.russonmortuary.com.